/ Weighing yourself down

I'm not sure how many of you run with weight on here but figured it was worth asking, what do people use to weight rucksacks evenly?

I have been using bags of rice up to now but am finding that however i lay it out it tends to all end up accumulating at he bottom of the bag rather than being evenly distributed.

If anyone has any better ideas i would love to hear them. I have tried using various bags etc, I know the obvious choice is using military webbing but i get far to many bizarre looks when i run through town.

In reply to Cappa:
Try uncoiled climbing rope in your bag. Rather than a dense weights like rice or water, it is malleable and can fill the whole bag (without slumping) with some jigging around then pulling in any compression straps.

In reply to Cappa: Dont know about running but I have used bags of sand in my big rucksack, this has the benefit over water as it moulds to the shape of your back- would be a bit overkill for running though.

I use a weighted vest. Made entirely of body fat. On the plus side it is quite well distributed and figure hugging. On the minus side I can't get it off and it's cost me a fortune in beer over the years.

In reply to Cappa:
Cheers for the advice guys i will give the water a try and see how it goes.
I'm doing a weighted 6 miler a week and a long tab in the hills at weekends when i havent got matches. Using a 10kg load at the moment aiming to increase it to 15kg by march (Been roped into completing the Para 10)

Pavement slapping with a bergan on is a sure way to destroy your knees, I'd lean more towards either long hill drags or short hill reps. Don't underestimate running in boots either. Once you have a base of stamina, tabbing is largely about recovering enough on the flat to get you up the next hill.

For weight, anything that can be ditched makes sense (bottles of water/sand), as do gym weights wrapped in duct tape. Old fleeces, sleeping bags etc will stop everything shifting around. Maybe a scrap of rollmat down the back. Cinch everything as tight as you can.

Just to 3rd/4th what has been said already however, if you're running with weight, you'd do just as well running harder without. As long as you know your bergan and boots will be comfortable, I wouldn't overdo it.

Too many people put weight on their back and try do their usual run, only to find their knees are fooked.

As you say, a tab is much better and then stick to threshold runs without kit to fill in the gaps. I always fond running in boots with decent insoles better than trainers purely due to the support on the ankle and the redcued rolling action.

Again thanks for the advice, is there another way to adapt to the weight, i completed a 30 mile tab for charity earlier in the year, in boots and with 20kg. I didnt train with the weight in favour of boots and High HR training long runs etc. The weight killed me during the event and basically crippled me for a few weeks afterwards.

My normal training involves both HIT interval training, long runs and i often run in boots. But if i want a good time i figure i need to do at least some weight work (different to my usual it will be fine attitude)

Have you looked at the training plan on the website? Seems fairly sensible about building up the weight. There's also a very good book called 'Fighting Fit' which has a training plan for P Coy - I could email you the spreadsheet if you like.

Been running with weighted packs for years. I use water in drombags, or just the gear im using (hi tonyG).

Depends how much weight your talking, but anything over about 12kg needs acvompanying training to build up legs and shoulders to avoid injury.
Several groups do a lot of this and successfully both minmize risk and acheive impressive results.
Mil webbing stands the abuse over time but is heavy in itself. Weighted running destroys recreational gear faster than intended.
BD haul bags handle the stress but are shit to load. Maybe water + a rope would be good there.

Its not a matter of weight OR mountains - combine both.
But do it gradually.